


Third Time

by Snow_Falls



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, F/F, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Genderswap, Menstruation Mentioned, Oral Sex, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-17 13:33:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18099497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snow_Falls/pseuds/Snow_Falls
Summary: "The first time, they scheduled it. They took out their phones and compared calendars. They worked around classes, exams, and part time jobs. Ash was nervous and excited. This wasn’t her first time, but it would be her first time with Eiko, and god, she wanted it to go well. When Eiko walked into her apartment, Ash felt her pulse pick up. It was stupid to get like this already, she needed to get a grip, but Eiko was just so cute, how was she supposed to play it cool when she looked like that."





	Third Time

**Author's Note:**

> Look, I had to, okay? Inspired by [this](https://twitter.com/Kyyhky7/status/1104539592458420225) beautiful and super hot art by the talented and lovely [Kyyhky](https://twitter.com/Kyyhky7). I've been toying with the idea of writing f/f AshEiji for a while now, and then I saw that art and my brain was like, "GIRLS." And, suddenly I knew what I wanted to write. =)

Isn't this why we came? Tell me if you feel it too  
Tell me, girls like girls like boys do, nothing new  
Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new

 _Girls Like Girls_ \- Hayley Kiyoko

 

The first time, they scheduled it. They took out their phones and compared calendars. They worked around classes, exams, and part time jobs.

“Wednesday? You’re free after 7, right?”

“Yeah, but I have to be up early, I have practice in the morning. I mean I could –“

“No, I don’t want you to be tired. Okay, how about…”

They had finally managed to find a good time. They had blocked it off in their calendars, turned down party invitations, and carefully organized their homework schedules to give themselves time. It was in Ash’s calendar, blocked off like her doctor’s appointment the week after. But, that was fine, they had talked about it, lying on the couch together, lazily browsing Netflix, and agreed this was best.

Ash was nervous and excited. This wasn’t her first time, but it would be her first time with Eiko, and god, she wanted it to go well. When Eiko walked into her apartment, Ash felt her pulse pick up. It was stupid to get like this already, she needed to get a grip, but Eiko was just so _cute_ , how was she supposed to play it cool when she looked like _that_.

“I made onigiri,” Eiko said, sweetly. Everything about her was sweet. From her chin length hair to the turquoise dress she wore. Ash took the container wordlessly, bending down to kiss Eiko, watching as she automatically tilted her head up to meet Ash’s kiss, like she had only been waiting for her to do it.

Ash pulled away, slowly, and said softly. “Hi.”

Eiko smiled, brown eyes warm. “Hi.”

They both laughed. Eiko took her hand, and even though it was Ash’s apartment, she led them both in. They went to the kitchen where Ash plated the onigiri; they grabbed drinks and went to the couch. It was actually a convertible futon from Ikea, couch by day, and bed by night. Ash had been a little self conscious about her shitty run down apartment when Eiko first came over, but Eiko hadn’t even batted an eyelash at her place, only snuggled up to Ash when they sat down, and that had effectively put her worries to rest.

They had started a new series together, it had been weeks since they started it, it wasn’t particularly long, but whenever they had time to be alone together actually watching what was playing wasn’t always their priority.

“She’s gay,” Eiko said before taking a sip of water.

Ash swallowed her food. “Oh, come on, that’s easy. Looking like that? There’s no way she’d be straight.”

Eiko smiled at her, “Yeah, and I called it.”

“I don’t think that counts.”

“It totally does! You called what’s-her-name from ‘Cable Girls’, and that was super obvious.”

“Okay, okay, fine. You get this one.” Ash set her phone down on the coffee table and said, casually, “I’ll give you this, you need it.” And waited.

Sure enough, Eiko made a sound of indignation. “I don’t _need_ anything!” And poked at Ash’s side. Ash caught her hands, laughing, and gently pulled until Eiko slid over, closing the distance between them. Ash let go of one hand to tuck black hair behind Eiko’s ear. It was smooth and soft.

“Don’t you?” Ash asked quietly. She was beyond pleased to see the way Eiko’s gaze dropped to her mouth.

Eiko was the one to lean forward, Ash watched her close her eyes, and then kissed her. Everything about Eiko was sweet, and the way she tasted was no exception. Ash let go of Eiko’s other hand now too; thumb running over Eiko’s smooth cheek instead, the other hand at her soft waist.

She drew away to mouth at the line of her jaw. Ash trailed kisses down Eiko’s neck, enjoying the fact that she titled her head back, giving her better access.

“I like your dress,” Ash said, pulling gently at the collar to expose more skin.

“Thanks,” Eiko said, just a hint of breathiness in her voice. “I thought about – “ she broke off on a soft gasp as Ash slid her hand up to cup her breast.

“Thought about?”

Ash felt her swallow, knew she was collecting her thoughts, and felt ridiculously proud of how she had temporarily taken away Eiko’s speech.

“I thought about,” she said, trying again, “your hand sliding up it.”

Ash felt suddenly very hot. She drew back to look at Eiko. She was flushed, and her eyes were dark. She bit her lip, but held Ash’s gaze.

Ash had to take a second before she could speak. “Yeah,” she said. “What else did you think about?”

Eiko looked down, then back up. “I –“

Ash’s phone began to vibrate. It sat beside the laptop that still played Netflix in the background. They both glanced at it, but Ash turned back to Eiko almost immediately.

“It’s fine,” Ash said, and kissed her. Eiko’s hands in her hair, her mouth opening under hers, the way she sucked on Ash’s tongue when she drew back, it was all so good. Ash pushed her down, a gentle pressure, and Eiko went willingly. Ash’s phone continued to buzz, but Ash ignored it determinedly.

Eiko’s hands were on her back. Ash felt her fingers run up her skin, softly. She could practically feel her surprise when they went smoothly up, nothing there to unclasp or pull off. Eiko’s hands began to move around from her back, and Ash was partly distracted by the thought of where they were headed. Her own hands stroking the lovely curve of Eiko’s hips, slowly working their way down.

Her laptop started to make soft pinging and beeping noises. Her phone buzzed insistently.

Eiko pulled away, breathing hard. She gave Ash an apologetic smile, like it was her phone that was blowing up. “Shouldn’t you get that?”

Ash groaned. She dropped her forehead to Eiko’s shoulder, took a deep breath, god she smelled good, and then got up. She snatched her phone up off the table and jabbed at the ‘Answer’ button.

“Yeah?” She snapped.

_“Ash? What the fuck, we’ve been calling you for five minutes straight, answer your damn phone!”_

Ash rolled her eyes even though no one would be able to see her but Eiko. “I answered it now, didn’t I? What do you want?”

_“Jason fucked up the stats, dude, all our work is off.”_

That got Ash’s attention. “WHAT?” Eiko jumped beside her and sat up, her eyebrows were drawn, and she looked at her in worry. Ash shook her head and then looked away saying. “You have got to be kidding me. I thought Carlos checked them, half our project is based on that, we can’t - !”

 _“I_ know _, that’s why I’ve been trying to get you! You have to come to the library now, it’s gonna take us all night to fix this, but I think we can make it.”_

Ash swore. She felt Eiko put a hand on her arm; she looked concerned. Ash took a breath, covered Eiko’s hand with her own and then said, “Okay, fine. Fine. Which library? Yeah, I’ll be there in ten.”

She hung up and swore again. She turned to look at Eiko who still wore her worried expression. Ash was full of regret, she wished she could go back in time and make sure Jason did his work properly, or better yet, just not work with him in the first place.

“What is it?” Eiko said, her voice soft, her touch soothing.

Ash sighed deeply. “One of the guys in our group fucked up his part in our final project.” She watched as Eiko’s expression changed, a different kind of worry.

“Shit,” she breathed.

“Yeah.” Ash agreed. “So,” she took a breath, “I have to go meet everyone at the library, we’re gonna have to bust our asses to get this done on time.”

“What time is it due?”

“Nine in the morning.”

Eiko glanced at Ash’s laptop. It was just passed nine-thirty; they had just under twelve hours to hand in something that was worth forty percent of their grade.

“I’m sorry,” Ash said, really feeling it. “I should have looked over their stuff myself, I shouldn’t have just taken their word for it, I should have –“

Eiko shook her head; she pressed one slender finger to Ash’s lips. “Don’t be silly. It’s not your job to babysit them. Group projects suck, everyone knows that. There’s always someone that fucks you.”

“Yeah, but that was supposed to be you.”

Ash took no small delight in the way Eiko blushed. She loved it when Eiko swore, there was just something so much better about it coming from someone so cute dressed the way she did. Ash smiled; she leaned down to kiss Eiko who skilfully evaded her lips, but gave her a swift peck on the cheek and leaned back.

“If you start, you won’t want to stop.” And she wasn’t wrong. “You should go, we can do this another time. It’s really okay.”

Ash pouted, she couldn’t help it. She knew that was all true, but, they had worked so hard, and Ash had been so worked up. She sighed again and then got up. “I’m gonna change, and then I’ll head out.” She paused by the door to the bathroom. “Will you stay here?”

Eiko, who had grabbed their empty plates and started toward the kitchen turned back and smiled at her. “As long as you’re not kicking me out, yeah. I have practice at twelve tomorrow, but I’ll be here when you get back.”

Ash smiled too. She went to get changed, debating about and finally putting on a bra, she changed her underwear too, for obvious reasons, and then threw her things in her bag. She sighed again. She knew this wasn’t a big deal, but she would definitely mourn this lost opportunity to have sex with her girlfriend for the first time. She contented herself with how best to kill Jason as she packed up her laptop. Mauled by wolves? Hot oil? The rack? Everything seemed too good for him in that moment.

Eiko was in the kitchen when Ash went looking for her. She had washed their plates and put the leftovers away. Ash smiled as she looked at her. “You’re going to make someone a wonderful housewife someday.” She didn’t think about it, she just said it. There was a beat, and then they were both blushing.

Eiko tucked her hair behind her ears and smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her dress. Ash fiddled with the straps of her bag, she cleared her throat. “I should get going.”

Eiko nodded. “I could go later and drop off some coffee?”

Ash shook her head. “No way, babe. I don’t want you walking campus alone at night.” She kissed her gently on the cheek. “But, thanks for offering, I appreciate it.”

“You worry too much,” she said, but didn’t argue. “Call me when you’re on your way back, okay?”

“Yeah.”

They looked at each other for a second. Both of them lamenting the way their night had unfolded, both of them determined not to bring it up; what was the point when nothing could be done to change it?

Eiko leaned up suddenly, taking Ash’s face in her hands, and kissed her, hard. The momentum of her steps made Ash stagger, she took a step back, and found her back pressed against the wall. Eiko stole her breath, made her mind go blank, and when Ash made to put her hands on Eiko’s waist, she pulled away. She walked backward toward the opposite end of the tiny kitchen, so she was leaning against the counter. “Good luck,” she said breathily.

Ash nodded, staring, her mouth still open.

Eiko smiled, “Shouldn’t you go?”

Ash blinked, closed her mouth, and then opened it again. “Right. I – yeah. Um, goodnight.” Ash finally managed to tear her eyes away from Eiko, turned, and left.

In the elevator she texted her, telling her to make herself at home, and make sure the door was locked. She paused.

> _I miss you_

One second later came the reply.

_> I miss you too, love <3 _

_Love_. Ash sighed again. There was no torture bad enough for Jason.

 

 

Ash slipped into her apartment twelve hours later. Her eyes were blurry and they burned even after she blinked them. As quietly as she could she closed the door and put her things down. When she got to the living room she found that Eiko was awake.

“Oh.”

Eiko looked up, she was lying on Ash’s bed looking at her phone. She was huddled under, what looked like at least three blankets. Ash smiled, Eiko smiled back, pulled the blankets down, and opened her arms. Ash threw off her sweater, shimmied out of her jeans, and crawled in with her girlfriend.

“Welcome back,” Eiko said, close to her ear. She was draped over Ash’s back, her arms around her.

“Mm, thanks.” Ash blinked, long and slow. “What time did you say you have to leave again?”

“In a couple of hours.”

“Right.” Suddenly it was much harder to keep her eyes open. “Maybe I could go watch –“

“No way.” Eiko squeezed her, lightly. “You need to sleep.” Eiko pressed her lips briefly to Ash’s neck, just barely grazing her skin, catching her hair, mostly. “You can come another time.”

“Mm.” Ash knew that was true, but she had precious little opportunity as it was to watch Eiko pole vault. Right now they practiced in the Dome, since it was still a little too cold to practice outside. But, maybe it was better that Ash wait until it was warm again, so she could see Eiko vault out in the open. She remembered the first time she had seen her. The strong stance of her body, the determined look in her eyes, the way she had suddenly shot up into the air, her body twisting and arching, and then falling back down to earth. Ash could still see her in her mind’s eye; framed against the blue sky, she had been a vision.

“I’ll stay for a little longer, just go to sleep. I’ll text you later.” Eiko’s voice, quiet, just by Ash’s ear. She wanted to say something, even just a small noise so she knew Ash had heard that, but she couldn’t quite manage it.

 

*

The second time was on a holiday. It wasn’t something either of them celebrated, so there were no other obligations, and could freely spend it together. They were in Eiko’s dorm, and even though the weather was still a little too cool for it, Eiko was wearing Ash’s favourite dress. It was the one she had been wearing when they met.

_“Excuse me.” She had turned, quite possibly the cutest girl Ash had ever seen. Ever. It was the middle of summer, so hot Ash could hardly stand it. The girl was wearing a pink dress with small white flowers all over; it tied at the back of her neck, and at her waist, and displayed a lovely collarbone, the curve of strong arms. Ash tried not to stare, she really did._

_The girl tucked short dark hair behind her ear, nervously, and looked up at her with big brown eyes. “Um, yes?”_

_“You dropped this,” said Ash, recovering quickly, handing the girl the card she had just picked up._

_“Oh,” she took it, smiling, “Thank you.” They looked at each other for a moment._

_Ash fought the urge to fidget. “Is there something on my face?” She blurted, and immediately kicked herself._ No, you useless lesbian, ask for her number!

_“Oh, um, no,” she fiddled with the card in her hands, her cheeks a light pink, complimenting her dress. “You’re just –tall.” She looked up at Ash through dark lashes._

_Ash had felt her heart skip a beat._

“The dorm’s pretty empty, huh?” Ash said, lounging on Eiko’s bed, watching her make tea.

“Yeah, both my neighbours are out, so I can play my obnoxious rap music as loud as I want.”

Ash laughed, even though she knew Eiko wasn’t joking. She really was going to play her favourite rap music on blast; maybe they could do that later, after.

“Do you want milk or sugar?” Eiko asked, pouring hot water over tea leaves.

Ash shook her head. “You know I don’t.”

Eiko smiled, “I know, I just thought I’d be a good host and ask.” She straightened, her kettle and mugs set up on her desk. The dorm rooms weren’t shared, but they were very small, smaller even than Ash’s apartment. Just enough room for a desk, a bed, a closet, and a tiny fridge. Eiko had books on shelves mounted on the walls, and in the drawers under her bed. Her bed was also smaller than Ash’s, which might make things tricky. But, Ash had exceptional balance, and she was willing to take a little tumble off it if it meant finally undressing her cute girlfriend.

“It just has to steep.” Eiko announced turning toward her.

Ash put out her hand, “Come here.”

She did. Eiko sat on the edge of the bed, closed her eyes when Ash brushed her bangs aside, bit her lip when Ash trailed a finger down her neck. Eiko was the one to lean down, kissing the corner of Ash’s mouth, her hands slipping under her shirt. That was bold of her, one part of Ash’s brain registered that, the other was very conscious of the feel of her hand on her skin, making it’s way slowly up. Ash traced the line of Eiko’s shoulder blade, tried not to pay attention to how close her hand was – She gasped.

Ash almost never wore padded bras, she wore bralettes, and in the winter under thick sweaters she wore nothing. So, there was almost no material between her skin and Eiko’s hand when it cupped her breast. Eiko kissed her neck, Ash could feel her teeth scrape against skin at the same time she pinched her nipple. She couldn’t help that gasp either.

Eiko lifted her head; they looked at each other. Ash surged up to kiss her, now both Eiko’s hands were on her, slipping under the thin material, touching her, teasing, _god._ Ash sat up fully, gently pulling Eiko onto her lap, the manoeuvring was a bit awkward, and Eiko had to use her hands for balance instead of touching Ash, which was the worst of it, but then they were lying side by side and Ash was drawing on the tie behind Eiko’s neck. She let her, let her untie the one around her waist too, and pull the zipper at her back down. Ash swallowed. They kissed again.

Eiko suddenly pulled back a moment later, she looked confused one second, pained, and then panicked.

“What? Did I –?“

“No, no,” Eiko shook her head. Ash still had her arms around Eiko, Eiko’s were under Ash’s shirt on her stomach. Right now they were pressed flat against her, she had pressed gently to get Ash to stop, and she had felt sudden dread she had pushed Eiko too far. “Could you – zip me up, please?”

“Yeah, of course, yeah.” Ash did without missing a beat. She watched in bemused worry as Eiko got up, crawled over her, and hastily tied her dress back up.

“Um, I just,” Eiko picked up a small bag on the chair at her desk and gestured to the door. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Eiko left without a backward look. Ash blinked. She thought she could guess what had just happened, which meant Eiko’s sudden exit had nothing to do with her, but she still fidgeted until she came back.

Ash was sitting up, her back against the wall. The look on Eiko’s face was almost all the confirmation Ash needed.

“You okay?”

Eiko set the little purple bag she had taken back down on the chair; she looked defeated. “Yeah, I just, I got my period.”

 _I knew it_. “Shit, that sucks, babe.”

Eiko sighed hugely. “I wasn’t supposed to get it for a few more days at least, ugh!” She glared at the purple bag. “This is bullshit.”

Ash smiled despite herself, Eiko was still so cute. “Periods always are.”

Eiko turned sorrowful brown eyes on her. “I’m _sorry_. I really didn’t think I’d get it this early! I wouldn’t have – you know,” she gestured, turning a light pink, “I’m sorry –“

“Hey,” Ash interrupted, scooting down the bed to sit on the edge. “Are you apologizing to me for a normal bodily function? One that I have to deal with too? It could just as easily be me, you know. It probably will be soon anyway.”

“No, I’m just –“ Eiko sighed again. “I’m just sorry, this sucks.”

Ash nodded, “Yeah, but it’s okay.”

Eiko suddenly braced herself against the chair. “Ow.” She said in a small voice.

Ash got up and put an arm around her. “Cramps?” She asked, grimacing sympathetically. Eiko nodded. “Sit down, I’ll get you some Advil.” Ash had been to Eiko’s room often enough to know where everything was. She took out two Advil, and some room temperature water, and handed them to Eiko. She took them with a grateful little smile.

“Would you do be another favour?”

“Babe, for you, anything, what do you need?”

Eiko nodded toward her closet. “Could you pass me my pyjamas?”

Ash smiled, “Sure.”

Ash politely turned away while Eiko changed. She busied herself with the now lukewarm tea. She took a sip of her own, it was very strong, but she didn’t mind.

She turned around when the rustling of clothes stopped. Eiko was wearing an oversized t-shirt she had gotten for free at a concert they went in last fall, and soft worn sweatpants. Unprompted, Ash picked up her dress, shook it out, and hung it back up. Eiko smiled softly at her when she turned back. Ash leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Do you want anything else?”

Eiko shook her head. “No, I’m okay. The Advil shook kick in soon, I just,” she pulled on the hem of her shirt, “I kinda feel really gross.”

Ash nodded, understanding. “Should I go?”

“No!” Eiko’s head snapped up. “I mean, if you want to -- stay?”

“Okay,” Ash said, there was a pause. “Wanna watch ‘Bake Off’?”

“Yeah.”

Ash set up Eiko’s laptop, taking the bag off the chair, pushing it out so it could be seen from the bed, and setting the laptop on it. Ash sat on the bed, placed a pillow on her lap, and then patted it invitingly. Eiko smiled at her, and made herself comfortable. They watched the last four episodes of that season of ‘Bake Off.’

 

*

When it finally happened, it wasn’t planned at all.

It was that time of spring where the weather was freakish and unpredictable. One day it was 8°C with a brutal wind, and the next it was 28°C and humid.

 _Climate change_ , thought Ash grimly as she got dressed. It was hot enough for shorts, so she put them on. She ran a hand through her short hair and sighed. Eiko was going to be the only bright spot of her day, and she couldn’t even spend much time with her, she had work in the evening. Throwing her things into her bag she texted Eiko and left her apartment.

They met on campus, outside the Starbucks. Ash saw her a mile off, with her little backpack slung over her shoulders, her hair clipped back, and wearing a sleeves white blouse tucked into a pair of shorts that were -- a pinkish beige? _What colour is that_ , she thought, and then almost immediately forgot about that train of thought when Eiko caught sight of her. She smiled, her whole face lighting up. If Ash didn’t see that smile on a regular basis, she would have probably swooned, as it was she was barely keeping it together. There was so much of Eiko’s skin on display. _Thank you, climate change_ , _even though_ _this is the least you could do for me before you fuck up the planet_.

“Ash,” Eiko said by way of greeting as Ash drew near. They smiled at each other; Ash leaned down with casual familiarity and kissed her.

“Shall we?”

Eiko nodded and took her hand; they set off. Because Ash had to work later, the plan was just to hang out in the park, have lunch, lie in the sun, maybe get some ice cream, and then Ash would have to go. It wasn’t disappointing exactly, anything that involved Eiko was wonderful by default, but Ash wished she didn’t have to cut their time short.

She had spent the break between winter and spring classes at Cape Cod with her sister. She didn’t begrudge the time she spent with her, it just meant less time with Eiko. And, Eiko was busy too. They were both taking spring classes, they both worked, and they both had extra circulars that left them with either no time, or no energy, and sometimes both.

_“We said we’d go slow, right? So, this isn’t too big of a deal, right?” Eiko said after they compared schedules and realized they had only small chunks of time scattered at awkward parts of the day to meet up for the foreseeable future._

_“Right,” Ash had agreed. And she meant it. It was fine, really. She could wait. But, it was still frustrating to know it wasn’t an issue of one or both of them not being ready, it was just timing. She was going to give herself carpal tunnel with how frustrated and pent up she was, and if she was going to get carpal tunnel anyway, she would much rather get it in the name of getting her beautiful girlfriend off, that would be worth it. A true worthy cause. “Right,” she said again._

“Want some?” Eiko asked, proffering her ice cream to Ash. Ash leaned over and tried it, it wasn’t exactly bitter, but it was a very strong flavour. Macha had a very distinct taste, and while she didn’t agree with people that said it tasted like grass, she also didn’t share Eiko’s love for it.

Ash held out her own cone, wordlessly. Eiko put her hand around Ash’s to keep the cone still, her small pink tongue licking unselfconsciously, Ash thought about throwing her cone down and grabbing Eiko’s face.

“It’s sweet,” Eiko said, smiling.

 _God_.

Ash pushed those thoughts firmly aside and put her arm around her girlfriend. They walked down the street idly, enjoying the weather, people watching, petting dogs, and looking into shop windows.

“This kind of reminds me of home.” Eiko said, when she was almost done her ice cream.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” she took the napkin wrapped around the cone off. “Back home, you can get decent macha ice cream in convenience stores, my brother and I used to go get them.”

“That sounds nice,” Ash said. “My sister and I would go get watermelon in the summer.”

“Tell me about it,” Eiko said, smiling at her.

Ash smiled back. “Well –“

“Ashley!”

“When I was little –“

“Ashley!”

“She would take me to the store and –“

“ _Ashley!_ ”

Eiko was the one to stop and turn around first. A guy about their age ran up to them, breathing hard.

“Joaquin? What are you doing?” Ash asked, then added. “No one calls me ‘Ashley.’”

Joaquin rolled his eyes. “Just answer your damn phone next time.” He said, still breathing hard. Ash had purposefully put her phone on silent, but didn’t comment on that. She raised her eyebrows in question. “Switch shifts with me.” He said.

“What? Why?”

“Please, I’m begging you! I’m working this Friday in the evening, and everyone else is busy, but my girlfriend just got tickets to a music festival I’ve been _dying_ to go to! Please! I’ll take any shift you want, whenever!”

Ash had opened her mouth to say ‘No.’ But then paused. She turned to Eiko. “Are you busy after this, babe?”

Eiko shook her head. “I was just going to go home.”

Ash turned to Joaquin, “My shift starts at 6, you can cover for me today.”

“That’s such short notice!” He complained.

Ash glared at him, “You’re the one that said ‘whenever,’ take it or don’t, it’s not my problem either way.”

“Ugh, fine!” He threw up his hands. Then added grudgingly. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, have fun.”

Joaquin gave her a look, clearly unsure if she meant the concert or his new shift that night, but he didn’t press his luck. He said bye and left. They both watched him go, and then Ash turned to Eiko, smiling slowly.

“So, it looks like I’m suddenly free.”

Eiko was smiling too. “Well, look how that worked out.”

A slight paused. “Wanna come over?”

“Yes.”

 

 

Ash was suddenly very -- extremely -- glad she had been in too much of a rush that morning to make her bed. The futon was still in bed mode, sheets still on; so that when she laid Eiko down on it she lay against soft pink material. Both their shirts were gone, forgotten somewhere on the floor. Eiko wore a plain white cotton bra; it looked incredibly sexy on her, a lovely contrast to the warm brown of her skin.

When Ash slipped a hand under her back, Eiko arched it, making it easy for her to take hold of the clasp and undo it. Eiko bit her lip as Ash drew her bra off, Ash had vague thoughts about it being impolite to stare, but in that moment it was impossible not to. Eiko was beautiful. Everything about her soft and inviting, the gentle slope of her breast to the peaked brown nipple, Ash wanted to put her mouth there.

Eiko didn’t give her time to; she was sitting up, making Ash sit up too. She kissed her, soft and slow, and said, against her lips. “It’s your turn.” Ash felt heat collect in her stomach. Eiko slipped her fingers under the band of Ash’s bra, she looked at her, and Ash obligingly lifted her arms. Eiko couldn’t quite manage it on her own, she accidentally snapped the elastic, and it almost hit Ash in the face. Eiko blushed a furious red, stammering apologizes, but Ash just laughed it off. She really, truly, didn’t mind.

They touched each other, slowly, both of them conscious of the newness of it, both of them wary and unbelievably excited. Ash felt like each touch Eiko gave her was like a brand, and she wanted it to be. She hoped Eiko left finger prints all over her body, so she could look at them and remember when Eiko had touched her and looked at her like _that_ , with reverence, tenderness, and unabashed desire. Ash leaned forward to kiss her, Eiko tasted like macha. Her hand was on Ash’s stomach, fingers dipping into the waistband of her shorts. She pulled back to look at her, and found that Eiko was looking back. She felt her hand slip out of her shorts; they were both dark eyed, and breathing hard.

“Can I take these off?” Ash asked, her voice coming out as a whisper, touching the tie at Eiko’s waist. Eiko just nodded, and Ash drew on soft fabric. They worked together to take it off. “What colour is that?” Ash remembered to ask, absently, her brain only working at fifty percent capacity.

Eiko gave her a look, “What does it matter?”

She had a point.

Ash couldn’t decide what would be better, touching Eiko first over her underwear or without. Both were good, so good. And in the end Eiko decided for her. She took her hand and brought it between her thighs. _God_.

She was wet, so wet. Ash was breathing hard as she slowly traced a line down, lightly, with just the tips of her fingers. Eiko gave a soft shuddering moan. Ash closed her eyes. Then opened them almost immediately, this was too good not to see.

Slowly, so slowly she pressed more firmly. The sounds Eiko made changing accordingly, and Ash felt herself get wetter too. Her heart beat hard in her chest, a counter point to the pulse that beat between her legs.

When she finally asked to take off Eiko’s underwear, her girlfriend eagerly agreed. She helped Ash out of her own, and they both took a moment to just look at each other. Ash didn’t even try not to stare. She was a jumble of competing impulses and desires. She wanted to take her time, touch every part of Eiko slowly, and softly, she wanted to spend hours coaxing sounds out of her. And, at the same time she wanted to press her firmly into the bed and devour her whole, wreck her the way simply looking at Eiko was wrecking Ash.

They lay down, pressing their bodies together, and that was good too. Eiko’s hands on her were like heaven, divine.

“Can I?”

“Yes, god, yes.”

The slick heat of Eiko was better than Ash had imagined, and she had fantasized about it quite a bit. The way her breath hitched when she dipped a finger in was going to be something she played in her head later over and over again. They kissed as Ash slowly fingered her, almost painfully turned on by how good Eiko felt.

Two fingers in, and the first soft touch to her clit; Eiko broke away from the kiss to throw her head back and moan loudly. Ash smiled, and moved to press kisses across her chest, finally taking Eiko’s perfect brown nipple into her mouth. She arched her back, dug fingers into Ash’s shoulder, and said her name on a shuddering breath. “ _Ash._ ”

 _Fuck_.

This was too much. She couldn’t take this anymore. She dragged her mouth down Eiko’s body, trailing kisses, along her body until she got to her hips. She looked up at Eiko then, she was looking back at her, mouth open, and her eyes so dark.

“Can I?”

“ _Yes_.”

For all her sudden eagerness, Ash took her time. She kissed the inside of Eiko’s thighs, the soft sensitive skin that she knew for a fact no one else had touched like this. It made Ash stupidly proud to know she was the only one who got to see Eiko like this, know the distinct difference in the texture of Eiko’s skin at her thigh, her stomach, her, frankly, perfect tits.

She touched Eiko again, softly, listening to the sounds she made. She was so beautiful, a flower glistening in the morning dew. Ash really thought that, she was so far gone her brain could only make clichéd comparisons like that. Maybe later she could come up with something inspired, when she had full access to all 210 of her IQ points.

Right now, poetry and word-smithing were unimportant. What was important was the slow slide of Ash’s tongue on Eiko’s wet cunt. The sound of her gasp was important, the way her hips arched up, so Ash had to press them back down was important, and the way her hands flew to Ash’s hair when she finally pressed her tongue to her clit was the most important of all.

This, this had definitely been worth the wait. It was worth every restless night Ash spent thinking about Eiko’s sweet kisses and soft sighs alone in her bed. She would wait years for the chance to touch her like this again; she would tear down civilizations, and set fire to the whole world to hear Eiko gasp, “Ah, _there_!”

Eiko’s hands clenched and unclenched on her hair. She pulled lightly, just this side of painful, but it hardly registered with everything else Ash was feeling. Her on arousal making her rub her hips against the mattress, thoughtlessly, her body was all the way keyed up, but all her attention was on the way Eiko threw her head back and forth on the pillow above her. She watched the way she bit on her lip, her brow furrowed, and eyes closed in concentration. She was so close. Ash could feel it. She worked harder, mouth working relentlessly, fingers moving deeper, and then she felt it, the moment the tension in Eiko’s body broke. She cried out, shaking as she came.

Ash worked her through it, and then withdrew before pleasure tipped into discomfort or pain. She wiped absently at her mouth, and chin, and looked at Eiko lying loose limbed and breathing heavily on her bed. Her dark hair splayed across Ash’s pillow, her face flushed, her chest heaving, god, she was a dream.

Eiko opened her eyes slowly, and laughed a little. It came out on a breath, she shook her head, and put a hand to her forehead, “Why did we wait so long to do that?”

Ash leaned down to kiss her. “I have _no_ idea.”

They kissed lazily, Eiko’s breathing slowly evening out again. Her hand slipped between Ash’s thighs. “Your turn,” she murmured against Ash’s mouth.

Fucking Eiko with her fingers and mouth had been incredible, and so was this, in a very different way. Was this what Eiko had been feeling? Ash felt like she might go crazy, like she might die, but god, what a way to go. Her heart beat hard in her chest, and it suddenly felt too full.

They were right, whoever ‘they’ were, when they said this was different, better, when you loved your partner. It was, and it was, and Ash probably couldn’t love Eiko more if she tried. She didn’t need this to feel like her heart was tethered to Eiko’s, but it was a beautiful reminder of the sheer depth of her feelings.

Eiko’s fingers were like magic. She kissed Ash’s neck, bit at her collar bone, her other hand on Ash’s breast, she started murmuring in Japanese, and Ash wished she understood what Eiko was saying. She couldn’t find the breath to ask. She wasn’t particularly vocal at the best of times, but being with Eiko was wholly sensate, speech didn’t exist in the world when Eiko rubbed her clit like _that_.

She had been prepared to take a long time to climax, they weren’t very familiar with each other’s bodies, and first times never went as smoothly as you imagined, so clearly they were exceptions and not the rule. Because, Ash was already so close.

“ _Ei-ko,_ ” she gasped, brokenly, it was too much. And, god, it wasn’t enough. A firm press, and Ash felt heat shiver up her spine. “Please, just – _ah_ – “

Heat rushed through her; she didn’t even have enough air to make a sound. Her vision went black for just a second, and pleasure ran hot along her body. It was probably one of the best orgasms she’d ever had.

Eiko kissed her slowly, and carefully withdrew her hand. Ash lay on her back breathing hard, she reached blindly for Eiko, who came instantly into her arms. Eiko scattered sweet kisses over her face as Ash slowly recovered.

She opened her eyes to see Eiko smiling at her. She looked pleased as punch. “Well,” Ash said. “Fuck.”

Eiko laughed, and Ash smiled. They kissed again, softly.

“Want some water?” Eiko said, a moment later.

“Yes, please.”

Ash watched her get up and walk over to the kitchen completely naked. It was a good look for her. Eiko should probably always walk around Ash’s apartment like that, especially with all the red marks where Ash’s fingers and mouth had been. There was definitely nothing that looked better on her than that. Eiko came back and handed her a glass of water.

She kissed Ash’s forehead briefly, and went to the bathroom. Ash should go to, and she would, just as soon as Eiko was done. She drank deeply, incredibly thirsty. If she ever met Joaquin’s girlfriend, she was going to shake her hand and thank her for her wonderful timing.

Eiko came out of the bathroom a moment later. She was pink in the face, and from the way she walked over Ash could tell she was self conscious about walking around naked. Well, that could probably be solved with practice.

“What?” Eiko said, and bit her lip.

Ash smiled, “Nothing, come here.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing f/f, please be gentle with me. 
> 
> The reference to the colour of Eiko's shorts is really just a call out on me cuz I didn't know how to describe it, and like Eiko very eloquently pointed out, what does it matter? But, I get hung up on the little things all the time. orz
> 
> Also, I have no idea if there's a popular female "version" for Eiji's name, but I thought this one was nice. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Find me on [tumblr](nightofviolet.tumblr.com) for more of my nonsense! =D


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